The century-old bricks that make Lubbock’s Broadway have historic value for some. Others say the city has gotten its use out of them. Now, city leaders are working with citizens to pave the way for the street’s future.
The brick road that connects Texas Tech University to downtown and other neighborhoods is bumpy and has been patched with other materials through the years. Underground utilities also need updates, which could be done during the rebuilding process.
What to do with Broadway and how to fund it has come up often in recent years. The city included $42 million for Broadway in a road bond package that failed with Lubbock voters in 2021. A reworked road bond passed last year, without funding for Broadway.
City of Lubbock staff says they need a design before they can get accurate cost estimates and construction plans. The Lubbock City Council heard project recommendations at Tuesday’s meeting, but took no action. The council will choose a design at a later date. The project is being considered in sections: University Avenue to Avenue Q, Avenue Q to Avenue E and Avenue E to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The street is not bricked the whole path.
The bricks were laid between 1920 and 1930. The materials came from the Thurber Brick Company, which made bricks used in communities across Texas. Thurber was once a company town an hour west of Fort Worth. Now, it’s a ghost town. Lubbock bought extra bricks decades ago to use for repairs and repaving.
Multiple rules were adopted over the years to preserve the brick streets. The most recent one, in 2020, requires input from specific groups before any major changes happen to Broadway. Two of those groups, the city’s Urban Design and Historic Preservation Commission (UDHPC) and the Central Business District Tax Increment Financing Reinvestment Zone (CBD TIF), submitted their own design proposals that use the bricks in different ways. The city is also required to solicit public feedback before a design is chosen.
The UDHPC suggests bricks should be used curb-to-curb. At a minimum, their designs keep bricks in drive and turn lanes. Their proposals oppose using historic brick where it was not originally located, like east of Avenue E and on sidewalks.
The CBD TIF group, which focuses on downtown development, recommends a design they say balances historical and practical concerns. Their design would use the historic brick in key intersections only and use another material in drive lanes, bike lanes and crosswalks. A rendering was not included in the most recent presentation.
The 2020 ordinance also called for input from the city manager before a design is chosen by the city council. Assistant City Manager Erik Rejino presented those recommendations at Tuesday’s meeting. They suggest using historic brick or an aesthetically similar alternative in intersections. Asphalt or concrete would be used for drive lanes, bike lanes and parking areas.
Nearly 3,500 citizens participated in a survey about Broadway. Around 73% of respondents said something should happen with the road. Rounding up, 40% said maintaining the historic brick is the most important aspect of the project; 39% said the drive lanes should be asphalt or concrete.
The city has held multiple public input sessions in recent months. One common citizen complaint is a lack of maintenance on Broadway over the years. One thing folks agree on, though, is that something needs to happen to the rough road.
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Have a news tip? Email Sarah Self-Walbrick at saselfwa@ttu.edu. Follow her reporting on Twitter @SarahFromTTUPM.
